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Latest News: Archive
October 2001
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Latest News: Archive
October 2001
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By Paul Mobbs.
The day was spent installing two and a half track panels to join up with track through Norwich road crossing in order to facilitate further stock movements. The job includes placing in about 75 sleepers, fitting the bullhead chairs, pulling in rails and aligning the track into a suitable curve. Although there was a good turnout of volunteers the work took all day as it's heavy going and the weather was not kind towards us in the late afternoon. We also took the opportunity to reposition a stack of concrete sleepers (part of the Cambridge job) to a site further down the yard while we had a digger available. A big thank you to all who put their backs into the job and to the buffet staff who kept the tea and coffee coming.
The finishing touches were put to the track which was installed on Saturday, including lifting and packing. Meanwhile, Trevor and Barry spent the morning cutting crippled rails into twelve foot lengths for future use as light posts at Thuxton station. In the afternoon it was time to take a train (14:00 hrs ex Dereham) to assess a lift and pack job near Wymondham in order to remove the 10 mph restriction which we hope to get to grips with as soon as the summer Saturday service ends.
The P-way gang (six people) got stuck into the autumn programme of fishplate greasing. Working southwards from Dereham platform we managed to get to bridge 1691 (near Yaxham up distant) which is just short of the 10 milepost. The job involves undoing the fishplate nuts (x4) removing the plates, cleaning off the old solidified grease from both the plate and the rail web. Greasing is necessary to ensure that the rails can expand and contract properly as the temperature changes. It is also necessary to inspect the plates and the rail ends especially around the fishplate bolt holes for fatigue cracks before applying new grease to the fishing surfaces and reassembling. Regreasing is one of those core jobs which has to be done and the more volunteers turn up the quicker we can get finished.
As it's autumn, it's the start of the leaf fall season again, so the P-way gang put up the eight leaf fall sign posts. The signs themselves are to be affixed by the Operating Dept during the week.
Although we made good initial progress on fishplate greasing, working our way from Yaxham's up distant to the gates before lunch, the progress in the afternoon was slower as it had come on to rain and we found ourselves facing 45 foot lengths south of Yaxham gates. We then came across a few fishplate bolts fitted with S&C nuts which are slightly bigger that the standard fishplate nut. So as we were now feeling the effects of the rain, we decided to call it a day at around three o'clock with approx 3/4 mile completed.
The P-way gang headed back to Yaxham's up distant but this time to help Roy with vegetation clearance along the embankment. It was then back to Dereham to have a quick look around the Bygones day.
What a difference from last Saturday with regards to the weather, it being a clear crisp autumn morning which greeted us. Starting by 9 1/4 milepost, we quickly worked our way south through Whinburgh cutting and on past the Trout farm, finishing by the 8 milepost. Another mile to go and we will be at Thuxton. It would appear that the larger S&C fishplate nuts found last week were just a localised problem as we found no more this week.
The P-way gang headed back to Yaxham's up distant to help Roy with vegetation clearance along the embankment. This work is going very well, and it is surprising what a difference it makes. The views from the embankment over the fine Norfolk countryside are certainly something to behold.